Pinless Pro Mitered Corner Napkins: New PDF Folding Paper Model

Pinless Mitered Hems PRO METHOD is my most popular video, but not everyone has an easy time with the corner fold at first. Especially for beginners, who are already on a steep learning curve, making mitered corner napkins can be a challenge. But this project doesn’t have to be out of reach!

This fold is the fastest way that I know to miter a hemmed napkin corner so that it looks beautiful and will survive years of use and laundering. So it is well worth learning how to do it! But the fold is a little counter-intuitive, until you get the hang of it. I actually have to re-figure it out myself when I haven’t made napkins for a long time!!

Open pdf to view/print. Tape pages back to back.

The PDF has complete instructions, but I’ve added a few still pics taken when I was testing the model. Click them to enlarge.

And please let me know if the model helps you! I always love hearing how things are working!

1) Trim if needed before taping back to back.

2) Part 1 – Fold as indicated.

3) Part 2 – Fold miter. (Actually done AS you sew.)

4) This is how you will sew your napkins.

Click to watch video

The 20-minute video, included here for convenience, covers the entire project, from ironing to gift boxing. Click pic to open the video in another tab and watch it on YouTube.

I tried the paper model. I folded hem A side and then hem B side. It works great…but if I were using fabric I would have also folded hem side C and then hem side D (turning clockwise as I press)
When I begin to stitch, I would start on hem side B and the first corner is great, but the next corner is backwards and I can’t unfold it as you say to. What am I going wrong?

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. You are indeed right that the last corner that you iron in, the second if you start sewing on hem side B, will be ironed in backwards and needs to be completely opened up and refolded in the right order prior to sew it–or else it must be mitered backwards compared to the other three. In truth, I often do the former option while still at the iron, or else I do it without even thinking about it as I sew around. In playing with the model, I am guessing that if you couldn’t open the corner at all to refold it, you must have sewn very close to the corner already. You might still be able to fold the miter on the D side hem. Then, when you sew that corner, you will be driving ONTO a lump of fabric instead of OFF of a lump of fabric. That one corner will mirror the other three, barely noticeable, and perhaps preferable to picking out stitches. But I’m sorry that I did not think to alert you to this 4th corner anomaly! Best, Beth